The aptly named “A World Apart” World War II monument in Savannah, Georgia, memorializes two Rowland men. Charles G Rowland and Albert A Rowland, unrelated but both from Chatham County Georgia, gave their lives in service to their country during World War II. The monument, designed by Eric Meyerhoff, consists of a bronze and copper globe, split in two, symbolizing the European and Pacific war theaters. Visitors can walk between the split two halves, and see the names of the 527 people from Chatham county killed in the war.
Charles G Rowland was born in 1917 at Savannah Beach (now Tybee Island), Chatham County, Georgia. He had three years of college under his belt when he enlisted in the Signal Corps of the United States Army. He died at sea on December 1, 1942, and his body was never recovered. Charles was the son of Charles P Rowland and Minnie C Greenlee. His paternal line traces back to John Rowland (1766-1858), who lived in the New York Colony before the American Revolution.
Sergeant Gilbert A Rowland was born in 1916 in Montgomery County Georgia. He was killed in action on January 19, 1945, near Liege, Belgium, where he was laid to rest in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Henri-Chapelle, Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium. Sergeant Rowland was a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Infantry Combat Medal, and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster. The son of Raymond Monroe Rowland and Martha E Todd, his paternal line has been traced back to John Rowland, born about 1794 in Anderson County South Carolina.
Rowland Y-DNA
There are not any known descendants of either line that have taken a Y-DNA test, making them part of Rowland DNA Group Untested.
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All images were taken at the “A World Apart” monument and memorial in Savannah, Georgia by Ron Rowland on 18 May 2022.